So much pink paint was used for the new “BARBIE” movie that it caused an international shortage.
Greta Gerwig’s new Barbie movie has already made a splash with its colorful trailers, showing off bright pink outfits and, of course, the impressive Dreamhouse-inspired film set. It looks so much like the Barbie Dreamhouse you might have played with as a kid, bedecked in a vibrant hue of fuchsia. It used so much pink paint, apparently, that it caused an international shortage of the Rosco brand paint color, production designer Sarah Greenwood shared in interview with Architectural Digest.
Who Will Star in Barbie?
The film will see Margot Robbie star as the iconic titular doll, alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken. However, like the toy line, the film will feature many different variations of the characters, boasting a sizable cast of stars. Also appearing in the film will be Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie, Emma Mackey as Physicist Barbie, Alexandra Shipp as Writer Barbie, Sharon Rooney as Lawyer Barbie, Nicola Coughlan as Diplomat Barbie, Anna Cruz Kayne as Judge Barbie, Ritu Arya as Journalist Barbie, Issa Rae as President Barbie, Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie, and Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie. Alongside this army of Barbies will be multiple Kens played by the likes of Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, and Scott Evans.
“Maintaining the ‘kid-ness’ was paramount,” Gerwig told Architecture Digest. “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much.” As a result, “the world,” Greenwood said, in the interview, “ran out of pink.”
This desire to give the film a childlike quality was at the heart of the production design, as Greenwood explained that “maintaining the ‘kid-ness’ was paramount,” with Gerwig demanding everything on set be pink. Greenwood continued, “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much,” as not to “forget what made me love Barbie when I was a little girl.” So much was used during the creation of the sets that it created an international shortage of the florescent pink shade of Rosco paints; “the world ran out of pink,” she said. When creating the large stages for the film, movie musicals were also utilized as a point of inspiration – not only for the visual world of the film but also for the film’s performances.
The whole set is an absolute sight to behold, inspired by Palm Springs and particularly midcentury modernism, and designers like Richard Neutra. But it was also a fully new invention in its own right, helmed by Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer (the two have also worked on Pride & Prejudice and Anna Karenina). Gerwig explained that the Dreamhouse was designed without walls or doors — a decision both true to the spirit of a dollhouse, which is completely open on one side to allow kids to play with the dolls, but also an interesting directorial choice for a live-action film starring human beings.
With Greta Gerwig positioned as one of the most notable up-and-coming auteurs, its no surprise that the striking visual style of Barbie has lead to interest in what has been coined the “Barbiecore” aesthetic to skyrocket; the TikTok hashtag for “Barbiecore” has accumulated over 342 million views. Barbie will be released in theaters on July 21, 2023.
